The invention is directed generally to usage data competent dispensers for liquid materials used in personal sanitary practices including hand soap or sanitizer compositions. More specifically, the invention is directed to a dispenser for a liquid product that includes means for usage monitoring and usage data collection. The invention is directed specifically to assisting in monitoring or enforcing compliance of personnel with hygiene control regulations, particularly in the health care and food preparation industries using a system that collects usage data and presents the data in a useful and accessible form.
Ensuring sufficient levels of hygiene compliance, including hand washing, in the health care industry in food preparation, including fast food restaurants, and in other product and service functions is a continuing management goal. Many attempts have been made by those of skill in the art to achieve this end. Adequate personal hygiene, including hand washing, is an integral part of ensuring uncontaminated workers and product and in promoting customer health and safety.
The prior art describes commercially available hand soap dispensers. Such dispensers are generally wall mounted and include a cover which is usually hinged to the mounting base. The dispenser includes a disposable liquid product container such as a cartridge or flexible bag. The soap is frequently available in valved disposable container that dispenses the product upon user input. U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,066, issued to Olson et al, describes a typical hand soap dispenser of the type which would be useful with the present invention. Other hand soap dispensers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,515 issued to Lippman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,131 issued to Binderbauer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,384 issued to Pilolla et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,749 issued to Kanfer and U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,517 issued to Potter et al. These references describe dispensers in which push bars are activated by the user in order to energize a valve or other dispensing means to obtain a liquid portion or a predetermined amount of soap. The specific manner in which the soap is stored and placed in the dispenser is well documented in the art. For example, McDermott, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,854 discloses a liquid hand soap dispenser which utilizes a valved collapsible bag which is contained within an outer casing such as a cardboard box to provide support. Roggenburg, Jr. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,827, discusses a liquid dispenser which includes a flexible bag which is formed with two chambers, a supply chamber and a discharge chamber, and the bag is suspended in the housing from projecting pins. These dispensers are frequently used in environments such as hospitals and restaurants which require stringent sanitation. The appropriate regulatory bodies have determined that on average these sanitation requirements can be met if a predetermined number of hand washings per employee occur during a particular amount of time Consequently, a need arose for dispensers which could keep a running tally of total usage.
There are examples of dispensers which are able to count total usage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,370, issued to Reilly, discloses a portable liquid metering device for temporary attachment to a liquid container. This device counts the number of times in which the container is tipped in order to discharge material. Chapman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,557, discloses a counter suitable for detecting applications of spray paint. Morrone, U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,084 discloses a counter for detecting the number of drinks dispensed. Sears, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,659, discloses a device which can count total usage of a given hand soap dispenser. This device attempts to resolve usage of individual employees by selectively disabling the counter during periods ascribed to multiple inputs or usages by a single individual.
Usage counters can fail to account for situations in which data is missed during periods of no data accumulation in disabled periods. Further, the mere presence of hand soap dispensers which are capable of dispensing a predetermined amount of soap is inadequate in assuring compliance with hand washing regulations. Even the use of dispensers which are capable of tracking total use can fail to ensure compliance since they are incapable of resolving all usage by individual employees. Consequently, there are examples in the art of various attempts to force compliance with the hand washing regulations required for compliance with hygiene guidelines.
One possible approach is to make hand washing easier. Cole et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,118, discloses a hand sanitizing station which automatically dispenses soap, turns on the water and then activates a hot air dryer, all in response to proximity sensors. Shaw, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,908, discusses a similar station wherein a length of paper towel is dispensed in place of the hot air dryer. While these devices may make hand washing easier, they fail to monitor or enforce compliance. Davies, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,085, discloses a hand washing device suitable for use as a surgical scrub sink in which a timing circuit sounds an audible note to inform the user that a sufficient amount of time has been spent on hand washing. Bogstad, U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,144, discloses a particular embodiment in which a warning system is activated by the flushing of a toilet. The warning system is then deactivated by the actuation of hand washing facilities. Jesadanont, U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,028 discloses a device for discharging disinfectants in which a disinfectant is automatically released for a predetermined amount of time. NetTech International, of New Jersey markets a device called xe2x80x9cHygiene Guardxe2x80x9d which is designed to improve employee hand washing compliance. However, this system requires each employee to wear a credit card size xe2x80x9csmartxe2x80x9d badge which is susceptible to damage, misreading by the dispenser, xe2x80x9cborrowingxe2x80x9d, loss or theft. This system can also require extensive (and expensive) installation work in the customer""s facility.
As demonstrated, there has been many varied attempts in the art to find a way to ensure monitoring or compliance with hand washing guidelines. We, however believe a substantial need remains for a cost-effective, simple-to-use device that will monitor and encourage personnel hygiene compliance and provide useful management data.
Broadly speaking, the invention is found in a usage competent data collecting hand soap dispenser which can be used as part of an overall hygiene compliance program. In one embodiment, the dispenser can monitor usage by each individual employee while an alternative embodiment simplifies matters by only monitoring total usage without accounting for individual usage data.
In the first embodiment, a self-contained battery operated keypad/display module is used that is attached to a standard hand soap dispenser. An employee can enter a unique personal ID code and then can activate the dispenser within a predetermined time period in order for the usage to be properly recorded. The dispenser then counts the usage by the employee and discriminates that use from the use of previous and subsequent employee users. The displayed data can include the employee identification, the current employee usage count per day, per week etc., employee inputs per use, the total usage count, frequency of use (per individual or per period), dispenser operation data, etc. Optionally, a push button can be provided which triggers the data display. A supervisor can be enabled to retrieve all data including employee counts via a special code input. Such data can be taken in the form of an electronic record or file, a print-out or as a visual display.
The first embodiment of the invention is designed for use with existing hand soap dispenser technology and can be incorporated into new units during OEM manufacture or can be installed in existing units during maintenance. The unit cost is low enough to permit its installation on or its use in all dispensers in a facility. The design minimizes the interaction necessary to ensure compliance and as such reduce potential abuse or avoidance. This device does not require employees to wear tags or other identification devices. There are no parts which can be lost or stolen, and there are no special installation requirements.
The first embodiment of the invention involves a hand soap dispenser having an integral apparatus for electronically measuring the usage of a dispenser which is actuated by pressure on an activating member which, in turn, triggers the discharge of material from the dispenser upon movement of the activating member from a starting position to a dispensing position. The apparatus includes a counting apparatus carried by the dispenser; a numerical display, numerical storage and data manipulation capability and a data entry keypad electrically connected to said counting apparatus; a moveable switch actuator operative with a switch receptacle communicative with said counting apparatus.
An alternative embodiment involves a simplified version of the first embodiment. No distinction is made between individual users, and no data is collected, stored or calculated in regards to individual users. Usage is monitored only in terms of total requests for product, specifically liquid product (soap) use or consumption (per input, per use or per period). Soap is dispensed in response to a pressure input.
This embodiment of the invention is also designed for use with existing hand soap dispenser technology and can be incorporated into new units during OEM manufacture or can be installed in existing units during maintenance. The unit cost is low enough to permit its installation on or its use in all dispensers in a facility. The design minimizes the interaction necessary to ensure compliance and as such reduce potential abuse or avoidance. This device does not require employees to wear tags or other identification devices. There are no parts which can be lost or stolen, and there are no special installation requirements.
The alternative embodiment of the invention also involves a hand soap dispenser having an integral apparatus for electronically measuring the usage of a dispenser which is actuated by pressure on an activating member which, in turn, triggers the discharge of material from the dispenser upon movement of the activating member from a starting position to a dispensing position. The apparatus includes a counting apparatus carried by the dispenser, numerical storage and data manipulation means and a moveable switch actuator operative with a switch receptacle communicative with said counting apparatus. Said counting apparatus counting and accumulating one switch closure upon the activating member moving into a dispensing position so as to move said switch activator into a closed position with said switch receptacle and wherein a single use is determined to have occurred if a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the previous activation.
The dispenser collects input and then the counter counts all switch closures but is able to discriminate between subsequent users and can calculate total usage (the number of people using the device), total soap consumption, soap consumption per person or use, frequency of switch closure in a single use by one individual, or other such data. The electronic counters can be calibrated and programmed to generate any data set useful for site managers. In a preferred mode the data is collected from an input comprising each application of pressure on a lever or bar that compresses a portion of the dispensing means producing a volume of the liquid. In typical uses the lever or bar is compressed two three or more times.